Looking back...

So a couple of weeks ago I was prepping for a chat about my portfolio and I started digging through the work I have saved on my work Mac and my Mac at home and, just like Carrie Bradshaw, I got to thinking about the little old me who spent a year at York College buildng a portfolio before I headed off to Uni.

Personally, I have come SO FAR since those days. I spoke to barely anyone that year, living in my little space near the stairs and churning out work like it was my JOB. In a lot of ways I LOVED that year with everything that I have. It was a luxury - to take a year between A Level and Degree so just create work, explore new media and processes, to start to discover my real creativity and where my passions, interests and abilities collide.

Unless you're a hellbent 18 year old who wants to study Interior Design and won't be swayed otherwise (I should have listened to my gut and the tutors and headed directly for the Graphic Design studio and never looked back but HEY its only taken me another 18 years to realise thats what I WANT to do, and what, really, I have ALWAYS WANTED to do).

So, I dragged my giant portfolio out of the loft and was browsing some of the stuff my daugher will inherit (LOL) and I was filled with this incredible sense of nostalgia, and gratitude that I had this time in my life.

Looking at the work, I can see some of the patterns and trends that still show in my work today - a hybrid of strong lines and manic scribbles (see my logo), photography, sketching and technical drawing. Here's the thing - technical drawing is my love. I will definitely come back to that on another post. I laughed out loud when I got to the printing and it's a page of question marks. I knew then something wasn't right and while I am still questioning all these years later, I think I am finally starting to unravel some of the messy lines of the last 18 years.

I thought I'd share a few bits because I loved making this work. I would love to be back in those days and spending hours in a hot and sweaty studio (which has actually been flattened now, replaced by the shiny new York College), driving my beloved 1991 plate Fiesta and just feeling so FREE. With my grown-up head on I would definitely encourage 18-year-old-me to mix more, make some friends.